


The return

by CheezPleez



Category: Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bullying, Gen, Not Canon Compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-01
Updated: 2021-02-01
Packaged: 2021-03-12 18:41:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29140197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CheezPleez/pseuds/CheezPleez
Summary: After a fire at their foster home the loss of his twin and a long recovery Echo returns to Kamino high for a new school year. A lot has changed and being held back a year doesn't make it easy but perhaps the new "weird" kids at school will make things a little better for him.Basically a high school au no one asked for and i wrote anyway. Enjoy or dont
Comments: 9
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1

Echo hesitated in front of the school. He had been gone for a year. After the fire it was a long road to recover and everything was different. Friends had moved, graduated but the biggest changes came from him.

When he woke up in the hospital he found he was missing his arm and part of his legs and worst of all his brother. Fives died to get him out. The crap fosters they had been with survived and that made him even angrier. He knew that fire was their fault. They neglected to keep their "home" safe. They cut corners using the money to care for him and his brother for their own selfish needs. Once he was finished rehab he was told the Tambors did not feel they could take on the burden of fostering a handicapped child. 

At first he was angry to be abandoned but then he was relieved. He wouldn't have to go back to them. Maybe his new fosters would care for him. Sadly because he was older it seemed no one would take him. He would just live at the group home until he aged out in another year or so.

He heard a voice behind him as he moved up the steps. "Looky, little Echo is back." He cringed. One thing hadn't changed, Bacara was still a bully.

He did his best to move up the steps as fast as he could. "Aw. He's tryin' to get away. Slick, grab him and remind him how things work around here."He was hauled back down the steps and tossed to the ground.

As Bacara sat a heavy booted foot on him he spoke, "You answer to me Echo. I know you've been gone a while and of course Fives isn't here to protect you anymore so I'll go easy today but remember, it costs to exist in my world so when I come for payment you be ready to pay."

"Hey, let him up!" 

Echo wasn't familiar with the voice. He looked over to see four boys piling out of a truck. The minute Bacara's boot was off him he scrambled up and away as Bacara and Slick turned to address the other four. When he was finally inside he saw Rex at his locker talking with Jesse. 

"There he is. Welcome back Echo. We grabbed your schedule for you. You have Kenobi for home room."

He looked over his papers and frowned "I was supposed to have Tano for gym this year."

Rex and Jesse looked at each other. "She...she's gone man. The booster club accused her of stealing the uniform money. She was cleared but she said she couldn't come back and face her peers knowing they so easily blamed her. There are some good changes though, Skywalker is the vice principal now and Bly is your gym teacher this year."

He groaned. Bly was an absolute adonis and expected the best from everyone. "I wonder if I can get a medical exemption for gym." 

Jesse chuckled "You can ask Kix but I don't think he will say yes." 

As the first bell rang they all went their separate ways. Echo wandered the halls and realized he had no idea where he was going. He had known this school like the back of his hand but that was before the fire. They had expected some issues due to the trauma he suffered but forgetting things was the most frustrating. 

"First bell has already rung. You need to be in class Domino."

He turned to see Dogma in the hallway.  
"Oh..Dogma...I...I'm lost."

He rolled his eyes "you are a junior here Echo you shouldn't be lost."

"Dogma...I'm...I'm serious. The accident...it messed up my memory a bit."

He saw his shoulders slump "oh. My apologies. Let's get you to your class but don't let it happen again."

He knew Dogma meant well. He took his post as hall monitor very seriously and sometimes he forgot about very human problems especially those faced on the first day of school.

He opened the door and Kenobi looked over and smiled. "Good morning Echo. Thank you for joining us."

As he looked for a seat he noticed one of the boys from earlier sitting in the class and an empty chair next to him. 

"I know some of you from past years but I think it helps for us to get to know each other. Things change and I want us to be on the same page. I'm here to help guide and teach. So today tell me about you in a short essay and get to know the people around you." He perched himself on his desk top and looked over the class.

Everyone quickly got to work chatting and writing. Echo looked around and just hunched in on himself. He really didn't want to write about what happened. Everyone already knew. He could see it in the careful glances and the look of pity in their eyes. He could hear their whispers as he walked around places. He felt the lump in his throat and squeezed his eyes shut tight to keep the tears back. Suddenly he felt a gentle tap and looked to see the boy next to him had moved a little closer. 

"Your arm… it's from the Organa company right?" 

He was so caught off guard by someone straight out asking he began to laugh. The boy stared at him as his laughs threatened to turn to tears and he fought to get a grip. Once he was settled he spoke.

"Yes...they...they donated them. My fosters couldn't,or more likely wouldn't, pay for decent ones." 

"May I see?" He was already reaching for Echo's arm and he resisted the urge to recoil.

Before he could stop him he had the casing open looking at the sophisticated joints and wiring. Murmuring as he carefully poked around. Someone cleared their throat and they saw Obi Wan standing in front of them.

"Gentlemen I'm sure that arm is quite interesting but perhaps that can be done elsewhere?"

Tech blushed a little "um right sorry sir."

"No worries but perhaps complete the written assignment."

They both began writing. "So...do you like paint ball?"

Echo looked at him "i've never done that before. Really if it costs money I haven't done it."

"Oh...well...my brothers and I, we go some weekends. You should come, we'll pay for you. My name's Tech by the way."

"I'm Echo, Echo Domino."

The bell rang and they both got up to leave. As they entered the hall someone came tearing down the hall past them. Tech shook his head. 

"CROSS! WHAT DID YOU DO!" 

The boy kept going but not soon after him was Slick and he was mad. Tech and Echo followed the boys down the hall they found Crosshair on the ground wheezing and rummaging through his backpack. As he pulled out an inhaler Slick swatted it away and hauled him up against the lockers. 

"Not running your mouth now huh?" 

"Let him go Slick, he needs his inhaler!" He looked over at Tech and snarled.

"Or what. We both know your brothers are on the other side of the school and you can't do shit."

"Slick!" Echo was stepping closer.

"You really think you can do something? You couldn't do anything without fives around to save you and last I checked he was worm food so-"

Without thinking Echo slammed his right fist into Slick's jaw. He could feel bone breaking under the impact. As Slick crumpled to the ground, Tech grabbed Crosshair's inhaler. 

Echo took a step back and felt someone grab his shoulder, he came face to face with Vice principal Skywalker.

"Echo, come with me. Tech take your brother to the nurse."

Echo was shaking by the time Padme entered the office. He just knew he was going to be expelled and the thought made him sick. He looked at her with eyes full of tears.

"Aw Echo. It's going to be ok." She pulled him into a hug as she sat down. "I know you didn't mean to hurt anyone. We can work this out."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ask and ye shall receive

He spent most of the morning in the counselor's office discussing what to do and what would happen. Thankfully Slick's jaw wasn't broken but he did knock quite a few teeth out and tore up his cheek. After hearing the comment and the incident that spurred it on, Padme agreed that Slick crossed a line and caused deep emotional distress. 

He was about to leave for lunch when he saw Tech come in with his brothers. Padme smiled and gestured to the conference room in the counselor's office. "Same place as always guys. Let me know if you need anything." 

Echo paused "um...can...can I stay with them?" 

Padme looked at him and smiled "as long as they are ok with that I'm fine with it."

He looked over at Tech and his brothers. The biggest one spoke up "anyone who knocks Slicks teeth out can hang out with me any day." They all nodded in agreement.

He let out a sigh of relief that he didn't have to navigate the lunch room after the morning he had.

He took a seat in the room with them. "Why don't you eat with everyone else?"

Tech smiled sadly "Hunter," he gestured to the teen on his left " gets over stimulated from too much noise. The lunch room is miserably loud and we don't like him being alone so we eat with him. It's better for Wrecker too since the extra noise interferes with his hearing aids."

He now saw the biggest one was removing the ear pieces and handing them to Tech who pulled a battery pack from his pocket to replace the ones already in. "Hopefully this will make it to the end of the day."

Hunter patted his back. "Thanks for looking out for my brother. I'm Hunter. Tech says you have home room with him."

"Uh..yeah. I'm Echo. I don't remember seeing you guys around before."

The one that was running from Slick finally spoke. "We were homeschooled until last year when our grandfather passed away. Now we're stuck here. Too old to be adopted so we are legally emancipated but we get financial assistance while we are in school. So here we are. I'm Crosshair by the way."

He nodded "nice to meet you. What pissed Slick off so much? I have never seen him that mad before." 

He smirked at him "I was talkin' to the girl he likes but he's never had the stones to ask out. She called me sweet and asked me out." 

"All that over a girl?"

He nodded "He thinks he is owed everything. I would do it again if it meant I got to see Lila."

"You wanna come to Dex's with us after school?" Wrecker asked excitedly. 

"Oh um...I don't have any money. Thanks all the same."

"You don't need money. If you don't mind bussing a few tables Dex will let you work for your meals. Otherwise just put it on my tab it will come outta my paycheck."

There was something infectious about Wreckers smile. "I will let you know. I'm sure I've got a big talk waiting for me at the group home."

"Yeah. I'm sure they will understand. It's not like you're the type to pick fights all the time right?"

Echo frowned "i'd love to say no but I don't know anymore. My head's still so messed I don't know."

Hunter patted his back "you'll be ok." 

The bell rang and they parted ways to class. Echo had a free period so he planned on finding Rex in the library.

"There you are. I heard you got mixed up with the bad batch."

Echo looked at him "the who?"

"Those four weird kids that drive the beat up truck. I heard you got into it with slick because of them."

"Oh. Well I have a class with Tech and I stopped Slick from killing his brother Crosshair. They seem alright to me though. How come I've never seen them around before?"

"They were homeschooled till their grandfather died. Lived on the outskirts of town kinda secluded. The oldest is Wrecker but he was held back a few grades so he's in your class, then Hunter whos in my Class. Tech should be a sophomore but they allowed him to skip a grade and Crosshair just started high school this year."

"Is it a good idea for me to hang out with them?"

Rex smiled "I don't see the harm in it but trouble does follow them wherever they go."

"I got that impression. Still it was nice to have someone not look at me with pity."

Rex grabbed the back of his neck "sorry if I do that."

"No, you really haven't, it's just….so hard. Fives and I were supposed to finish this together and now he's gone and the Tambors gave me up."

Rex's eyes went wide "they what?"

"They said they didn't feel adequate to foster a kid with disabilities. I got dumped back in the system before I even woke up."

"Jeez Echo, I didn't know. You should come over for dinner one night. Wolffe and Cody would love to see you."

"I'd like that but I'm going to Dex's afterschool with the bad batch today. Maybe Friday?"

"Sure, that works great Wolffe and Cody get done class early."

"How's college life treating them?"

"Well it's only been a week and Cody is stressed. Wolffe doesn't seem bothered but he keeps it all to himself so we won't know until he snaps."

They both laughed.

"Wolffe will feel the pressure soon enough I'm sure."

The remainder of the day went without incident and Tech and his brothers met him outside after school. "You decide to come?" Wrecker boomed at him.

"Yeah. I did, if you'll have me."

"A Course we will. Come on! You're gonna love Dex's."

They all piled into the truck and drove to a rundown part of town.

"Gramps used to take us here all the time. It's our favorite place."

As they entered the dinner a big guy came from behind the counter. "There's my boys. First day of school everything go ok? No fights right?"

They all looked at him sheepishly "aw shit what happened this time?"

"It was um...me actually sir." Echo spoke up from his near hiding place behind them.

"Well I'll be damned you guys made a new friend. Take a seat and I'll get ya some food and since it's the first day of school, it's on the house. Besides, if I change my mind I'm sure Wrecker here can work it off."

They piled into a booth and waited for the man to return. "That's Dex. He was friends with Gramps and our dad."

Echo wanted so badly to ask about their parents but he knew from experience those questions never went well.

"We lost them both in a car accident. Wrecker was with them. That's how his hearing got messed up." Hunter supplied almost casually.

"I don't remember a lot about it. I mean I don't remember a lot of things but I guess it's ok." Wrecker added.

"I never knew my folks. Fives and I were bounced around foster homes until the Tambors finally took us in." He shook his head. He didn't want to talk about all this.

Suddenly a tray dropped onto the table in front of him piled with fries and sandwiches and a soda for each of them. The boys happily reached for the food.

"So who's your new friend?" Dex pulled up a chair from a nearby table.

"I'm Echo sir."

Dex laughed "Nice to meet ya Echo now do me a favor and stop callin' me sir. People will start to think i'm some kinda upstandin' citizen they hear that kinda talk."

He nodded his head not sure how to react. "Well food's there, dig in Echo. I'll be in the back if you boys need me."

He watched as the four of them happily ate the sandwiches as if it was the only food they were going to get.

"Just think in a couple weeks we'll be eating better once the season opens."

Echo raised an eyebrow.

"Hunter works cleaning game for people." Tech explained "They hunt it and bring it to him, he cleans it. He keeps whatever they dont want and they pay him nicely since it's pretty messy work. He took over when gramps couldn't do it anymore after the stroke. Wrecker tried but-"

"But I don't like seeing animals like that. Like i know where meat comes from an' all but it's different doin' it yer self. I could kill a robot or somethin' but not an animal."

They sat and talked as the dinner crowd began to shuffle in. "I should get going. Colt and Shak Ti will be waiting to talk with me."

"We'll give ya a lift." They grabbed their things and piled back into the truck. By the time they pulled up at Echo's place Crosshair and Tech were both asleep leaning on each other.

"See you guys tomorrow."

Hunter waved quietly and Wrecker nodded "see you tomorrow. You wanna ride to school with us? Its on our way."

"Um yea sure that would be great. See you then."

As expected when he got in Colt and Shak Ti were waiting at the table for him.  
"We heard there was a problem at school today. Come in here, let's talk for a bit."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading if you have requests for this fic feel free to drop em

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading this train wreck


End file.
